SRIKAKULAM: For almost 24 hours, Barri Masena and three other fishermen of Pusapatirega mandal of Vizianagaram district, clung onto a rod in the cabin of the boat they were travelling in when it capsized in rough waters off Ummilada on Friday night.
Oil from the engine dripped onto their heads and into the sea, forcing them to drink the contaminated water to stay alive. But they were lucky.
“We could only save four of the five who were trapped inside the boat. Another fisherman, Mailapalli Sreenu, is missing. We are still looking for him,” district collector Dhananjaya Reddy said.
The four who survived had held one another’s hands the entire night waiting for help, but with each passing hour, they started losing hope. It was then that they heard sounds of the boat being cut to pieces with blunt instruments. After a few minutes, a hand emerged from the cut made on the boat and Masena clung on to it to indicate that there were survivors inside the boat. “Once they understood that people were trapped inside, the gap was widened and we were brought out safely,’’ Masena told Express.
The boat ventured into the sea from Visakhapatnam harbour on July 9 and reached Paradip on July 13. While returning, the sea turned rough with high tides. “The accident occurred around 11 pm near Ummilada village of Santabommali mandal while the boat was being anchored,’’ Masena said. When the boat capsized, three of the eight fishermen onboard jumped off and swam for one and half kilometres at midnight to reach the coast where they sought help from locals. Upon being alerted, the district collector directed officials to take up rescue measures immediately.
The three fishermen — Barri Ammoru, Barri Yerrayya and Ganagalla Tatayya — were rushed to a hospital. The locals, other fishermen and officials cut open the boat with sharp instruments that they could find, suspecting that a few commuters may have been trapped under the vessel.
“When I saw a hand through the gap made by the cut, I grabbed it to indicate that there were survivors inside and within minutes, Barri Tatayya, Govinda Appanna, Vasupalli Narasimhulu and I were pulled out safely,” Masena said.